Athletic shoes suitable for tennis, basketball and other vigorous sports are well known and typically include a leather or vinyl plastic shoe upper for overlaying the dorsum of the foot, an insole for being disposed adjacent the sole of the foot and an outsole disposed adjacent the insole for being disposed adjacent the ground. The outsole has side portions which extend upwardly to overlap the upper to which it is secured by a suitable cement or other adhesive. The upper and outsole thus cooperate to enclose the foot of the wearer.
Because play in tennis, basketball and the like sports involves a substantial amount of running, jumping and similar vigorous movements, prior shoes for use in those sports have typically been relatively heavy and rigid so as to provide adequate support for the foot of the wearer during such activity and thus guard against injury. Though those prior shoes have thus provided the necessary support for the foot, the weight and rigidity of those shoes has added substantially to stress of the exercise.
The present invention overcomes the limitations of those prior athletic shoes by providing a sport shoe which adequately supports the foot of the wearer and thereby eliminates or at least reduces the incident of sport-related injuries, but yet is lightweight.